The present disclosure generally relates to radiant cooking devices and, more particularly, to cooking devices and assemblies that employ infrared radiant energy to cook food.
There are essentially three ways to cook food, via conduction, via convection, and via radiation. Cooking via conduction entails the direct transfer of heat from one component to another. For example, when cooking food in a frying pan, the hot pan maintains contact with the food and thereby transfers heat to the food by directly touching it. Similarly, when cooking food on a grill, the food is cooked via conduction by directly contacting the heated cooking grate (i.e., the grill surface) and by hot gases, via convection. Cooking via convection is typically the slowest and least efficient form of cooking.
Cooking via convection entails transferring heat through a fluid medium to the food. For example, a potato boiled in water is cooked by conduction as the water transfers heat to the potato. Similarly, a chicken cooked in an oven is cooked by convection as the gases (i.e., air) surrounding the chicken transfer heat to the chicken. Convection cooking also occurs on a grill in the form of indirect grilling as the flow of hot air surrounds the food on the grill.
Cooking via radiation is quite different from conduction and convection cooking and entails using a form of electromagnetic energy that is directed at the food to be cooked. Radiation cooking is generally accomplished using radiant heat, infrared, or microwaves, and includes cooking in common household appliances, such as microwaves and toasters. Infrared is increasingly becoming the method of choice for many cooks, and is commonly known as broiling.